Cabbage Hall to boost turnover with corporate focus

RENOWNED Manchester chef Robert Kisby plans to increase turnover by 25% in his year as owner of Cabbage Hall restaurant.

Mr Kisby, formerly chef manager at Le Mont and head chef at the Bridgewater Hall, bought Cabbage Hall in March this year from former Lounge Ten and Reform owner Francis Carrol.

The restaurant and bar currently has annual sales of £600,000 but Mr Kisby says he is confident that demand for high-quality corporate entertainment will boost sales by 25% to £750,000, despite many firms reducing marketing spend in this area.

Mr Kisby plans to invest £45,000 in the site over the next nine months and to target the corporate market heavily.

Mr Kisby said: “Cabbage Hall is certainly a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to making my mark and bringing my personal style to it over the coming years.

“Despite the economic downturn, there are still a number of firms investing in client hospitality. Budgets have certainly been cut however for many it’s still an effective way to keep close to and retain existing clients.

“If anything, we’re actually benefiting from businesses looking more closely at their costs. More than ever, corporate hospitality has to represent excellent value for money, be memorable and be of the highest quality. We’ve already hosted a number of large events since we opened and the feedback has been very positive.”

Elliot Simon, partner at accountancy firm Baker Tilly, provided business planning advice ahead of the Cabbage Hall acquisition. He said: “The restaurant trade has certainly been hit hard in the economic downturn, but Cabbage Hall has a number of strong differentials.”